Besides all the drama off the field, the month of July did nothing to erase the major theme of the 2014 MLB season: its newfound parity. There are good teams, but not what one would consider elite teams. Currently in the XN Power Rankings, the Detroit Tigers are ranked fifth, but finished the month with a 13-13 record. The Milwaukee Brewers, the sixth-ranked team, finished July with a 9-16 record. And that’s just a couple of examples.

Worst Hitting Prowess: Finally, we can leave the San Diego Padres’ offense alone.

San Francisco Giants: They had a run-differential of -23 in June and -7 in July. They are being described as “San Diego Padres’ North” by the locals.

Cincinnati Reds: A slew of injuries to their best hitters has crippled this team’s offense.

Best Base Running

Milwaukee Brewers: Carlos Gomezand Jean Segura led the way for the Brew Crew as they struggled everywhere else on offense.

Tampa Bay Rays: The Rays’ offense exploded in July as the team’s base running took advantage of the fourth best-hitting team in baseball.

Worst Base Running

Los Angeles Angels: Very surprising to see the Angels among the worst as they have been among the best in this category. Only eight stolen bases in the month of July.

Atlanta Braves: Same story with the Braves as their base running was the only thing they had going on offense. Yes, they were in the top five in stolen bases, but their overall base running metrics were simply not up to par.

Best Plate Discipline

Tampa Bay Rays: Their reputation as being one of the most patient ball clubs in baseball lived up to the hype last month. Ben Zobrist was flirting with finishing with a Walk:Strikeout Ratio (BB:K) of 2:1.

Pittsburgh Pirates: Another surprise team on this list as they have a few free-swingers and inexperienced hitters in their lineup.

Worst Plate Discipline

Milwaukee Brewers: Just like Carlos Gomez is helping the team in the base running department, he is also hurting the team with his poor approach at the plate.

Three teams are tied for the penultimate spot in this category: Colorado Rockies, Seattle Mariners, and Baltimore Orioles.

Best Overall Offense

Tampa Rays: Finished with a run-differential of +32, second in the month of July.

Pittsburgh Pirates: Aided by a strong plate discipline, the Pirates also did a great job getting on base and displaying power as well.

Worst Overall Offense

Cincinnati Reds: As mentioned before, the injuries have taken a toll on this club. Devin Mesoraco led the team in home runs with four.

Seattle Mariners: Despite having guys that can produce, the Mariners’ simply lack depth on offense to help them consistently score runs.

Best Starting Rotation

Tied at the Top: the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Washington Nationals had the two best rotations in baseball. Both clubs placed five players in the top 30 in Field Independent Pitching (FIP–basically takes into account a pitcher’s ability to strikeout hitters, limit walks and home runs).

Seattle Mariners: What they lack in hitting, they make up with a strong rotation, thanks in large part to the efforts of Hisashi Iwakuma.

Worst Starting Rotation

Both of the Texas teams had a tough go in July. The Houston Astros’ had a bright spot in Dallas Keuchel, but all of their other starters finished with a FIP over 4.00. Likewise, in Arlington, the Texas Rangers got a decent effort from Yu Darvish, but the rest of the rotation was simply terrible.

Best Bullpen

Tampa Rays: we’re beginning to see a pattern here. There was strong talks that the Rays would not trade Price after all due to the team’s success in July. However, as mentioned before, Price wound up getting dealt to Detroit.

Baltimore Orioles: Many are asking if the O’s have what it takes to win the American League East. If their bullpen continues to pitch this well, they may just surprise a few people.

Here’s how the rest of the baseball world looked like in the month of July:

FUBAR IN JULY

Rank

Team

Points

Win

Loss

Run Diff

June Ranks

T-1

Rays

59

17

6

32

2

T-1

Angels

59

19

8

39

14

3

Mets

65

15

10

17

12

4

Nationals

70

14

10

23

7

T-5

Braves

76

13

13

18

15

T-5

Mariners

76

11

14

-3

8

T-5

Athletics

76

15

10

28

10

8

Padres

78

12

13

26

9

T-9

Orioles

83

17

8

20

21

T-9

Red Sox

83

10

15

-20

11

The biggest rise in the rankings from one month to the next was by the Orioles, going from 21st in June, to ninth in the month of July. Their offense still struggled last month and their rotation is mediocre at best, but the bullpen and defense are elite level and that may be enough to carry them in a lackluster AL East.

Also worth pointing out are the New York Mets. The team from Queens finished with a winning record. How did they improve their play from June to July? An improved offense combined with a strong rotation, and a decent defense.

Why are the Red Sox still ranked so high? They still have a pretty good offense and their relief corp, led by Koji Uehara, is still in the top 10. Also, the BoSox have an unheralded, but effective defense. Ironically enough, it was their starting pitching that held them back, even though they were able to find buyers for Lester, John Lackey, and Jake Peavy.

FUBAR IN JULY

Rank

Team

Points

Win

Loss

Run Diff

June Ranks

11

Reds

84

11

15

-10

4

12

Giants

88

12

14

-7

16

13

Dodgers

89

14

10

5

1

T-14

Indians

95

14

12

26

27

T-14

Diamondbacks

95

13

12

-1

17

16

Yankees

103

14

12

3

23

17

Brewers

111

9

16

-11

13

18

Cardinals

118

13

11

-16

6

19

Twins

125

11

15

-11

25

20

Cubs

126

10

16

-34

19

Despite their winning records, the Dodgers and Cardinals dropped the most in these monthly rankings. The Dodgers’ bullpen had let them down and their defense is barely average. Though the Cards have a superb defense, they have been terrible everywhere else. Judging by their -16 run differential, they should be lucky to escape July two games over .500.

The most improved team on this table were the Cleveland Indians, going up 13 spots. What holds them back from being a sure-thing in baseball is their defense, still ranked as the worst in the majors.

FUBAR IN JULY

Rank

Team

Points

Win

Loss

Run Diff

June Ranks

21

Blue Jays

126

15

11

14

24

22

Royals

132

12

13

-15

3

23

Marlins

137

14

12

-15

18

T-24

Rockies

138

8

17

-36

28

T-24

Pirates

138

15

11

9

5

26

Phillies

140

12

15

-22

22

27

White Sox

144

14

12

19

29

28

Tigers

150

13

13

18

20

29

Astros

178

8

17

-42

30

30

Rangers

180

6

20

-54

26

The Royals and Pirates fell hard in these rankings. It’s understandable to see why the Royals fell so low as their poor record and run differential tells a basic story. But the Pirates’ July summary is a bit more complex. As we’ve mentioned, the Pirates were on an offensive tear in the month of July. But their pitching, which was the team’s backbone last season, was atrocious. So the Pirates had to adapt and did a good job out-slugging their opponents. It is highly doubtful that the Bucs can continue to win in this manner as the season winds down.

Two AL playoff contenders, the Blue Jays and Tigers are once again in the bottom third of these rankings. The Jays were a poor base running team in July, but the rest of the offense was efficient. Even the rotation performed better than anticipated. But once again, bullpen and defensive woes continue to hold this team back. On the other hand, the Tigers’ base running drops and average plate discipline figures, drops their offense outside of the top 10. Pitching and defense could use dramatic improvements if this club wants to move up in rankings.